Persuasive Argument Paper

Should the Death Penalty be Abolished?

Kelly Hampton

ENG/215

Virginia Stewart

6/13/2011

Should the Death Penalty be Abolished?

Introduction. When it comes to murder, America is one of the few countries that still support the death penalty. Many individuals are in favor of this process and see it as a device to stop pre-meditated violent crimes. Others oppose this punishment and view it as a crime against humanity; they mourn and build up the countdown to executions to speak out for these criminals (Johnson, 2010). Speaking out for these murderers is a noble gesture, but who becomes the voice of the victim?

Death Penalty abolitionists, advocates and facts. The issue of capital punishment has been a long standing debate. Abolition groups claim the death penalty is the deprivation of human rights and essentially a legal form of pre-meditated murder, which to these groups make the judicial system no better than those that are being executed. Oppositionists have found and exposed specific flaws in the procedures involved in the death penalty (Johnson, 2010).

The numbers of innocent people charged and convicted of murder is unknown. Since 1973, more than 130 inmates were released from death row because of the evidence found in his or her wrongful convictions. The legal system found cases in which these people were wrongly accused due to such factors as the misconduct of the police, inept legal representation, political demands, and the distortion of evidence found (Johnson, 2010).

It has been suggested that the cost of executing a prisoner is 2.5 times more than the cost to keep him or her in prison for life. The amount is attributed to the continual appeals process, the costs attained before and throughout the trial process, and the legal dispute itself (Johnson, 2010).

Another thought by abolition groups is that deterrence will not help in minimizing the amount of homicides in America. These groups have however...